Or maybe he proved him right.
Either way, the result was exactly what the Stars were seeking. Hitchcock made Spezza a healthy scratch for the first time in 14 years Monday, and the veteran coach followed that up with a challenge that Spezza has to play better.
"Let's get going and let's start playing the way we're capable of," Hitchcock said Monday. "He can do this stuff, he's shown the ability to do this stuff, but we can't keep having conversations and no results. We've had the conversations, there is consequences with it, now let's play."
Spezza did just that Monday, scoring two goals to lead Dallas to a 4-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings.